Afridi’s election for KP CM’s post: ‘Process must be allowed to proceed without interference’

ISLAMABAD: The jailed former prime minister Imran Khan on Friday issued a fiery warning from behind bars, vowing that any attempt to meddle in the election of Sohail Afridi as chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would provoke “vigorous public protest.”

In a statement posted on X, Khan said the process must be allowed to proceed “without interference”, and completed in a timely manner.

He argued the circumstances in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa made a change of chief minister necessary and said the step was consistent with constitutional practices followed in other provinces.

He said the decision underlined PTI’s drive to involve grassroots workers in decisionmaking rather than rely solely on electables.

He rejected claims that the change was linked to his family, calling such suggestions “completely unfounded” and insisting no family member influenced the decision.

“Ali Amin Gandapur is among my old and loyal associates, but he is embroiled in disputes,” Khan said, adding that the disputes stemmed from what he described as a policy under Army Chief Asim Munir that relied on displays of force against terrorism rather than a comprehensive political strategy.

Describing 2025 as “the worst period in the country’s history in terms of terrorist incidents,” he warned Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could no longer withstand the crisis and expressed hope the new chief minister and his team would work with public representatives to adopt a comprehensive policy to eliminate terrorism and restore lasting peace.

Khan reiterated that for two decades he had outlined a clear counterterrorism strategy, and asserted that terrorism had been largely brought under control during PTI’s threeandahalfyear government.

He recalled that, according to him, PTI had engaged with the then Afghan administration over tribal and refugee issues and that a militaryproposed resettlement plan for militants in 2021 was never implemented after opposition from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tribal representatives.

Rejecting accusations that his government allowed terrorists to be resettled in Pakistan, he challenged critics to provide details if any such resettlements had occurred.

He also dismissed claims alternately blaming the Afghan government or longterm Afghan migrants for attacks inside Pakistan, saying the contradictions exposed what he called the “ill intentions” of an Asim Munirimposed system.

Khan cautioned that substituting force for political strategy leads to failure and warned that collateral damage from military operations fuels retaliatory cycles of violence.

He also renewed his complaint that numerous cases – including those related to ToshaKhana, AlQadir, the cipher, and iddat– have been repeatedly filed against him and his wife, Bushra Bibi, which he said are politically motivated attempts to coerce him into abandoning his cause.

“No matter what they do, I will not bow before them, nor will I allow my nation to bow,” he declared.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025